mb.com.ph; March 2, 2011, 7:03pm

SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ, Nueva Ecija, Philippines (PNA) -- Aimed to control the population of rice black bugs (RBB) that has been infesting rice-producing towns here and in the nearby Aurora province, experts have agreed for the mass production of the insect pests’ biological enemies.

In a recent National Consultation and Planning Workshop to Address RBB and other Pests in the Philippines conducted at PhilRice Central Experiment Station here, experts from public sector have decided to make metarhizium anisopliae more accessible to farmers.

Metarhizium anisopliae, a biological fungicide, attacks RBB with its green toxin-producing spores that paralyze the pest then kill them.

As agreed upon, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) will provide virulent pure metarhizium anisopliae culture to the Regional Crop Protection Centers (RCPC) to ensure the quality of the organisms.

On the other hand, RCPC will mass produce metarhizium anisopliae with technical assistance from PhilRice, and distribute to farmers needing the bio-control fungus.

“Collaboration among research agencies and local government units are needed in mass producing the fungus as more manpower is required to make the fungus widely available to farmers,” Genaro S. Rillon, a PhilRice crop protection expert, said.

Rillon said RBB is one of the most damaging insect pests that cause severe damage by sucking the plant sap resulting in dead-heart during the vegetative stage and empty grains or whiteheads during the reproductive stage. The attack can severely reduce yield up to 80 percent and can cause complete crop loss due to bug burn.

“The use of metarhizium anisopliae can reduce 30-68 percent of RBB population in seven days. Unlike chemical pesticides, it is safe for humans and the environment, he said.

Source: Experts to mass produce fungus vs. rice pest